All Articles Tagged As: fear

Whom do we fear or trust? (8/7/2008)

Faces instantly guide us, scientists say ...> Full Article

Thin line between desire and dread: Dopamine controls both (7/9/2008)

The chemical dopamine induces both desire and dread in adjacent regions of the brain ...> Full Article

It's Okay to Keep Those Feelings Inside, New Study Suggests (6/2/2008)

Findings focus on collective traumas like school shootings or terrorist attacks ...> Full Article

Trauma of 9/11 may have changed brains (5/30/2008)

Healthy adults who were close to the World Trade Center during the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, have less gray matter in key emotion centers of their brains compared with people who were more than 200 miles away ...> Full Article

Brain's 'trust machinery' identified (5/24/2008)

The brain centers triggered by a betrayal of trust have been identified by researchers, who found they could suppress such triggering and maintain trust by administering the brain chemical oxytocin. The researchers said their findings not only offer basic insights into the neural machinery underlying trust; the results may also help in understanding the neural basis of social disorders such as phobias and autism. ...> Full Article

Imaging study provides glimpse of alcohol's effect on brain (5/5/2008)

Findings help explain why people engage in risky behavior while intoxicated ...> Full Article

Study suggests genetic factors associated with common fears (4/8/2008)

Genetic factors that are associated with fears appear to change as children and adolescents age, with some familial factors declining in importance over time while other genetic risk factors arise in adolescence and adulthood ...> Full Article

Fear of Messing Up May Undermine Interracial Contact (4/4/2008)

Research shows that many Americans feel anxious during interracial interactions whether or not race is even mentioned ...> Full Article

Researchers unlock snake and spider mystery (3/11/2008)

researchers have unlocked new evidence that could help them get to the bottom of our most common phobias and their causes. ...> Full Article

Spanking Kids Increases Risk of Sexual Problems as Adults, New Research Shows (3/2/2008)

Children who are spanked or victims of other corporal punishment are more likely to have sexual problems as a teen or adult ...> Full Article

The Evolution of Aversion: Why even children are fearful of snakes (3/1/2008)

Some of the oldest tales and wisest mythology allude to the snake as a mischievous seducer, dangerous foe or powerful iconoclast; however, the legend surrounding this proverbial predator may not be based solely on fantasy. As scientists from the University of Virginia recently discovered, the common fear of snakes is most likely intrinsic. ...> Full Article

Yes, dear: Romantic relationships can make you defensive, 'avoidant' (2/16/2008)

Some people in relationships tend to be defensive and avoid prickly discussions and even words like "divorce"-something that can lead to anxiety later, a University of Michigan researcher says. ...> Full Article

'Love Hormone' Promotes Bonding (2/12/2008)

Gazing into your lover's eyes isn't only romantic; it may also mimic early attachments that forever alter your brain and body. ...> Full Article

Very Young Found To Process Fear Memories In Unique Way (2/8/2008)

Very young brains process memories of fear differently than more mature ones, new research indicates. The findings appear in the Feb. 6 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The work significantly advances scientific understanding of when and how fear is stored and unlearned, and introduces new thinking on the implications of fear experience early in life. ...> Full Article

Experts Debate the Role of Psychology in Interrogations (12/28/2007)

The involvement of psychologists in interrogations is a subject of great interest among practicing psychologists, researchers, policy advocates and interrogators. There are greatly varying opinions about what role psychologists should play in interrogation settings. For example, at last summer's meeting of the American Psychological Association in San Francisco, representatives of the APA Council of Representatives voted against banning participation of psychologists, and in favor of adopting an alternative resolution. ...> Full Article

Mental illness and drug addiction may co-occur due to disturbance in the brain's seat of anxiety and fear (12/9/2007)

Study finds rats with amygdalas damaged at birth showed abnormal adult behavior related to fear plus greater cocaine sensitivity ...> Full Article

Fear is stronger motivator to get fit than hope for those worrying about their bodies (11/28/2007)

Fear of looking unattractive can be a stronger motivation for keeping people going to the gym than the hope of looking good, a study says. ...> Full Article

Stress response in the brain relies on a blood-thinning protein (11/24/2007)

A stressed-out mouse tends to be a bit timid, tentative, even fearful. For that matter, so does a stressed-out human. Our ability to learn from frightening situations is part of what helps us avoid them in the future. When that learning process goes awry, it can lead to depression and a decreased ability to recognize dangerous situations. Now, research by Rockefeller scientists has pinned down a protein in the hippocampus - a part of the brain that controls memory, learning and fear - that's essential for maintaining this stress response. ...> Full Article

Effects of Social Isolation Traced to Brain Hormone (11/15/2007)

The anxiety and aggression that result from social isolation have been traced to altered levels of an enzyme that controls production of a brain hormone. ...> Full Article

Fears Can Be Treated Successfully With Combination of Drugs and Behavior Therapy (11/14/2007)

Medication combined with behavioral therapy can be effective in helping individuals fight their fears ...> Full Article

From Terror to Joy: Faced with Death, Our Minds Turn to Happier Thoughts (10/24/2007)

Philosophers and scientists have long been interested in how the mind processes the inevitability of death, both cognitively and emotionally. One would expect, for example, that reminders of our mortality--say the sudden death of a loved one--would throw us into a state of disabling fear of the unknown. But that doesn't happen. If the prospect of death is so incomprehensible, why are we not trembling in a constant state of terror over this fact? ...> Full Article

Rejection sets off alarms for folks with low self-esteem (10/12/2007)

Few can tolerate such romantic or professional rebuffs as "It's not you, it's me" and "we regret to inform you that your application was not successful." But while a healthy dose of self-esteem can absorb the shock of rejection, poor self-esteem can trigger the primal fight-or-flight response. ...> Full Article

What emotional memories are made of (10/5/2007)

Mouse experiments reveal 'flight or fight' hormone's role ...> Full Article

Individuals with high fear of crime twice as likely to suffer from depression (9/29/2007)

A new study has shown that people with a strong fear of crime are almost twice as likely to show symptoms of depression. The research also shows that fear of crime is associated with decreased physical functioning and lower quality of life. ...> Full Article

Scientists explore theme park thrills (9/25/2007)

Scientists are helping to capture the essence of excitement with a live experiment that measures the 'thrill factor' of riding a rollercoaster. ...> Full Article

The brain's response to an approaching menace (8/26/2007)

UCL scientists have identified for the first time how our brain's response changes the closer a threat gets. ...> Full Article

Why Do People Love Horror Movies? They Enjoy Being Scared (7/29/2007)

A bedrock assumption in theories that explain and predict human behavior is people's motivation to pursue pleasure and avoid pain. How can this be reconciled with the decision to engage in experiences known to elicit negative feelings, such as horror movies? It certainly seems counterintuitive that so many people would voluntarily immerse themselves in almost two hours of fear, disgust, and terror. Why do people pay for this? How is this enjoyable? ...> Full Article